The Poets were a Scottish

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

freakbeat Freakbeat is a loosely defined subgenre of rock and roll music developed mainly by harder-driving British groups during the Swinging London period of the mid-to late 1960s. The genre bridges British Invasion R&B, beat and psychedelia. Etymolo ...

and

psychedelic pop Psychedelic pop (or acid pop) is pop music that contains musical characteristics associated with psychedelic music. Developing in the late 1960s, elements included " trippy" features such as fuzz guitars, tape manipulation, backwards recording, ...

band, who were managed and produced by

Andrew Loog Oldham Andrew Loog Oldham (born 29 January 1944) is an English record producer, talent manager, impresario and author. He was manager and producer of the Rolling Stones from 1963 to 1967, and was noted for his flamboyant style. Early life Loog Oldha ...

. Some of their

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

were released on his

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product, on which is written or printed information or symbols about the product or item. Information printed dir ...

Immediate Records Immediate Records was a British record label, started in 1965 by The Rolling Stones' manager Andrew Loog Oldham and Tony Calder, and concentrating on the London-based blues and R&B scene. History Immediate Records was started in 1965. Signed ...

. Their

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "

Baby Don't You Do It "Baby Don't You Do It" is a 1964 single by American singer Marvin Gaye. Released on the Tamla label, this song discusses a man who is at a standstill with his girlfriend, who he feels is neglecting his love stating "Don't break my heart/...I'v ...

" was produced by Immediate

in-house Outsourcing is an agreement in which one company hires another company to be responsible for a planned or existing activity which otherwise is or could be carried out internally, i.e. in-house, and sometimes involves transferring employees and ...

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

, Paul Raven (Gary Glitter). Musically, the band's style contained elements of both the hard R&B of the early

Small Faces Small Faces were an English rock band from London, founded in 1965. The group originally consisted of Steve Marriott, Ronnie Lane, Kenney Jones and Jimmy Winston, with Ian McLagan replacing Winston as the band's keyboardist in 1966. The band w ...

(both bands would cover "Baby Don't You Do It") and

the Action The Action were an English band of the 1960s, formed as the Boys in August 1963, in Kentish Town, North West London. They were part of the mod subculture, and played soul music-influenced pop music. Career The band was formed as the Boys in Au ...

along with the more melodic sounds of

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

the Searchers ''The Searchers'' is a 1956 American Technicolor VistaVision epic Western film directed by John Ford and written by Frank S. Nugent, based on the 1954 novel by Alan Le May. It is set during the Texas-Native American wars, and stars John Wa ...

and the later period Small Faces. Visually, they sported an

Edwardian The Edwardian era or Edwardian period of British history spanned the reign of King Edward VII, 1901 to 1910 and is sometimes extended to the start of the First World War. The death of Queen Victoria in January 1901 marked the end of the Victori ...

look similar to the early Kinks with matching velvet jackets, ruffled shirts, tight pants,

Beatle Boots A Beatle boot or Baba boot is a style of boot that has been worn since the late 1950s but made popular by the English rock group the Beatles in the 1960s. The boots are a variant of the Chelsea boot: they are tight-fitting, Cuban-heeled, an ...

and shag haircuts. Within the West of Scotland however, their look was interpreted as based on the poet Robert Burns' appearance in paintings of his time. Their 1964 single "Now We're Thru'" was a No. 31 hit on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. However, later singles were not chart successes outside Scotland, and no full album was completed. Some of their singles appear on various

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s, including the ''

Nuggets II Nuggets may refer to: Music * ''Nuggets'' (series), a series of compilation albums by Elektra Records, continued by Rhino * '' Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965–1968'' * '' Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts from ...

'' box set on

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

(one song) and ''The Immediate Records Story'' (four songs) on

Charly Records Charly Records is a British record label that specialises in reissued material. Among the labels whose original releases are reissued by Charly are Vee-Jay, Sun, Immediate, BYG, Tomato, and Fania. History Charly Records was founded in Franc ...

. One of their tracks, "That's the Way It's Got to Be" was on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

for the films '' Factory Girl'' and ''

Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster ''Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster'' (sometimes stylized as ''Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster'') is a 1965 science fiction film. It was directed by Robert Gaffney and starred Marilyn Hanold, James Karen and Lou Cutell. It was filmed in Fl ...

''. Their former member, Hume Paton, born Hume Michael Paton, 6 October 1945,

Bellshill Bellshill (pronounced "Bells hill") is a town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, southeast of Glasgow city centre and west of Edinburgh. Other nearby localities are Motherwell to the south, Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Hamilton to the south ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, died on 30 April 2011, from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

in Saint Georges,

Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and Pe ...

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

at the age of 65. Another former member, Alan Weir, born 12 September 1943, Gartcosh, Lanarkshire died on 9 June 2010 from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

, at the age of 67. Another former member John Dawson, born 6 May 1944, Glasgow, Strathclyde died on 6 January 2002 in Glasgow of cancer, at the age of 57. In 2011, the Poets reformed with original members George Gallacher and Fraser Watson, and on 2 December that year, played at the Eyes Wide Open club's 7th anniversary celebration. This was meant to be a one off, but just before the gig, the Poets' name appeared in the line-up to Le Beat Bespoke 8, listing them as playing on 8 April 2012. Lead singer George Gallacher born 21 October 1943,

Royston, Glasgow Royston/Roystonhill is a district in the Scottish city of Glasgow. It is situated north of the River Clyde. It was previously known as Garngad and is still known as such by residents with a familial link to the area. It is notable for its large ...

, died of a heart attack on 25 August 2012, at Glasgow Royal Infirmary at age 68 while travelling home after watching his beloved

Partick Thistle Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...

win 3–0 against

Dumbarton Dumbarton (; also sco, Dumbairton; ) is a town in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland, on the north bank of the River Clyde where the River Leven flows into the Clyde estuary. In 2006, it had an estimated population of 19,990. Dumbarton was the ca ...

. The remaining founder member, Tony Myles, now lives in Spain where he hosts various radio programs and continues to write music at his home studio in the Costa Blanca.

Discography

Singles

* "Now We're Thru" (Gallacher/Paton/Myles)/ "There Are Some" (Gallacher/Paton/Myles) (October 1964),

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

- UK No. 31 * "That's the Way It's Got to Be" (Gallacher/Paton/Myles)/ "I'll Cry with the Moon" (Gallacher/Paton/Myles) (February 1965), Decca * "I Am So Blue" (Paton/Gallacher/Myles) / "I Love Her Still" (Gallacher/Paton/Myles) (July 1965), Decca * "Call Again" (Paton/Gallacher) / "Some Things I Can't Forget" (Paton/Gallacher) (October 1965), Immediate * "

" (Holland/Dozier) / "I'll Come Home" (Gallacher/Paton) (January 1966), Immediate * "Wooden Spoon" (Moeller, Woolfson)/ "In Your Tower" (Mulvey, Watson) (February 1967), Decca * "Heyla Hola" (Meehan and Henderon) / "Fun Buggy" (Henderson) ( Strike Cola promotional single, c. 1970/71)

Members

* George Gallacher -

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

(born 21 September 1943, died 25 August 2012) * John Dawson -

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

(born 6 May 1944, died 6 January 2002) * Alan Weir -

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(born 12 September 1943, died 9 June 2010) * Stafford Hamilton -

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

(born 1945, died 2011) * Hume Paton - 12-string

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

(born Hume Michael Paton, 6 October 1945, died 30 April 2011) * Tony Myles -

(born 11 January 1943, Douglas, Isle of Man) * Jim Breakey -

(born 4 January 1947, Glasgow, Scotland) * Fraser Watson -

, later

* Andi Mulvey -

* Norrie McLean - bass * Ian McMillan -

* Stuart McKenzie -

* Ray Duffy -

(two weeks) * Hughie Nicholson -

* Johnny Martin - bass * Dougie Henderson -

* Hugh Burns -

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Charlie Smith -

* Joe Breen - bass

References

External links

George Gallacher InterviewThe Poets Website
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Poets, The Musical groups from Glasgow Beat groups Scottish rock music groups British blues musical groups Musical groups established in 1963 Decca Records artists Immediate Records artists